English dictionary, thesaurus, translations & etymology
FreeDict.com
noun

murrain

Murrain (noun) means Infectious disease; pestilence, plague; (countable) sometimes used in curses such as a murrain on someone: an outbreak of such a disease; a plague.

noun
1
Infectious disease; pestilence, plague; (countable) sometimes used in curses such as a murrain on someone: an outbreak of such a disease; a plague.
2
A widespread affliction, calamity, or destructive influx, especially when seen as divine retribution; a plague.
3
Any of several highly infectious diseases of cattle or other livestock, such as anthrax, babesiosis, or rinderpest; or a particular epizootic thereof; also, an infectious disease affecting other animals, such as poultry.
4
An infectious disease affecting plants.
Study it as flashcards or scroll it in Flow — saved to your collection.
Test yourself on “murrain” A quick quiz — meaning, synonyms & usage

Etymology

The noun is derived from Late Middle English morein, morine, moreyn (“(widespread) death; widespread sickness, plague; fatal disease; carnage; carrion”), from Anglo-Norman morine, mourine, moreyn (“death; widespread sickness, plague; carrion; cattle disease”), Middle French morine, and Old French morine, mourine, murine (“widespread sickness, plague; animal which has died from a disease”), from Late Latin morina (“plague”), probably from Latin morior (“to die; to decay, wither”). The adjective and adverb are derived from the noun. Cognates * Italian morìa (“plague”) * Latin morticīnus (“that has died naturally, dead; (relational) carrion”) (Medieval Latin morticinium) * Occitan moria (“death; plague”) * Old French morie (“death”) mourie (“flesh of animals that have died of disease”) (Middle French murie) * Portuguese morrinha (“cattle plague”) * Spanish morriña (“cattle plague”)

Rhymes for murrain

See all rhymes for murrain →

Frequently asked questions

What is the meaning of murrain?

"murrain" (noun) means infectious disease; pestilence, plague; (countable) sometimes used in curses such as a murrain on someone: an outbreak of such a disease; a plague.

What are the different meanings of murrain?

"murrain" has 3 main meanings: 1. Infectious disease; pestilence, plague; (countable) sometimes used in curses such as a murrain on someone: an outbreak of such a disease; a plague; 2. A widespread affliction, calamity, or destructive influx, especially when seen as divine retribution; a plague; 3. Any of several highly infectious diseases of cattle or other livestock, such as anthrax, babesiosis, or rinderpest; or a particular epizootic thereof; also, an infectious disease affecting other animals, such as poultry.

Definitions from wiktionary, CC BY-SA · etymology from Wiktionary